Managing pain is a focus of medicine today. Here’s why.

The scope of the problem Chronic pain is a health epidemic. Estimates suggest that up to a third of adults or a hundred million Americans live with chronic pain conditions that interfere with their work and life. From back pain to headaches to diabetic neuropathy, chronic pain is widespread and debilitating. These patients suffer tremendously, and societal consequences are significant; back pain is one of the most common causes of missing work and prescription drug abuse is a consequence of our struggle to manage these chronic conditions. Pain syndromes span a wide spectrum of diseases Patients who come to a pain clinic include veterans with phantom limb pain after a traumatic amputation, women with fibromyalgia who cannot leave the house, business executives whose migraines debilitate them and those with end stage cancer. Pain syndromes result from brain injuries like stroke, nerve damage like complex regional pain syndrome, musculoskeletal problems, and psychological trauma, yet they all have a common end result: functional debilitation affecting every sphere of life. By the time patients see a pain specialist, they are at their wit’s end, exhausted, frustrated, angry, sad and scared. Most physicians fear the “pain patient” For most doctors, chronic pain is a red flag. The problem with pain is that it is mostly subjective; if a patient feels pain or says she’s in pain, then we must treat her like she has pain. Many pain syndromes, however, don’t have obvious or im...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Conditions Pain management Source Type: blogs